Study Shows Exercise Helps Women!

According to a study published in the journal Circulation, approximately 60% of the protection provided to women by exercise against heart disease and stroke comes from its effect on inflammatory markers.

Researchers assessed cardiovascular risk factors and exercise levels in more than 27,000 women, ages 45-90 (average age 55) enrolled in the Womens Health Study who were followed for more than 11 years for new diagnosis of heart attack and stroke.

The participants who engaged in the most amount of exercise were 40% less likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those who did the least amount of exercise.

Regular physical activity is enormously beneficial in preventing heart attack and stroke, lead author Dr. Samia Mora, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in the divisions of preventive and cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston said in a prepared statement. We found that even modest changes in risk factors for heart disease and stroke, especially those related to inflammation/hemostasis and blood pressure can have a profound impact on preventing clinical events.

This study is the first to examine the importance of a variety of known risk factors in explaining how physical activity prevents heart disease and stroke.

The Harvard team found that exercise-related changes in inflammatory and hemostatic biomarkers fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 had the largest impact, lowering heart attack and stroke by 33%.

Combined Training Confirms Benefits for Diabetics Those with Diabetes 

Most people know that a consistent exercise regimen can help against type II diabetes. However, a new study indicates that there is one type of fitness routine which may work best. Workouts which combine both aerobic and resistance training exercises appear to control blood sugar better than either type of training performed independently.

Dr. Ronald J. Sigal, an associate professor of medicine and cardiac sciences at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada and his team conducted research evaluating 251 adults, ages 39 to 70, all with type II diabetes and previously sedentary lifestyles. The participants were assigned to one of four groups: 45 minutes of aerobic training three times a week, 45 minutes of resistance training three times a week, 45 minutes of combined aerobic and resistance training three times a week, and those who engaged in no exercise.

As expected, glycemia control improved in all the exercise groups. In those who engaged in either aerobic or resistance training, the A1c value a measurement reflecting blood sugar concentrations declined by about 0.5% percent compared to the non-exercisers. Those who engaged in the combined training regimen experienced double that level of success, with their A1c value dropping by 0.97% compared to the non-exercising group.

The non-exercising group experienced no change in their A1c values over the 26-week evaluation period. The decrease of nearly one percent in the A1c value seen in the study translates to a 15%-20% reduction in risk of heart attack or stroke and a 25%-40% reduced risk of other complications, such as retinopathy, an eye problem related to diabetes. There is additional value and beneficial adaptations to doing both resistance and aerobic exercises compared with either one alone.